Dr Archeville

"My Gravimetric Belt is... was," he corrected himself with some frustration, "what allowed me to fly, and protect me from the injuries all those supervillains I face would want to inflict upon me. But it seems whatever shorted out my Screwdriver has knocked it out, too." "But aside from the problem with the hot tub," he turned and pointed towards the leaking water, tracing it up the cabin and finally pointing at the cockpit, "the SX-1 appears to be operating just fine. Which makes me think this is a targeted attack upon me, rather than some general naturally-occurring or man-made effect; the water problems are due to an initial range-finding/targeting-calibration shot they took in order to properly hit me." He picked his Screwdriver up and returned it to its pocket in his lab coat, then checked his other pockets to make sure any other devices in them were not sputtering or smoking, and that he could still access the folded-space pockets that were, like his home, bigger on the inside. Very calmly, so as not to cause panic, he went on, "now this make me wonder several things, foremost who is doing this and why. Equally important, though, is: what is next? Yvonne, Marco, Mr. Nakamura," he nodded towards the three assistants, "what can you tell me of the SX-1's safety features? Specifically, evacuation and-" There was something on the wing! Some... thing on the wing! "- how well trained the pilots are in emergency nonpowered landings," he continued without skipping a beat, owing to his superhumanly fast mental processes. "I never said," the Japanese assistant to Mr. Hanson began, "how did you-" "I am a Doktor -- knowing things is what I do." He turned to Hanson, "now, my good man, I would presume that, even as confident as you are in this craft's performance, you would not skip such important -- and FAA-mandated -- precautions, hrm? Parachutes alone would do us little good at this altitude, but there is perhaps an escape pod?" What was that? Another one of those damnable 'gremlins'? No, those things had to touch technology to disrupt it, nothing has touched me, and the planet itself -- so far -- is operating okay.

"Status and location of other officers unknown," it continued flatly to the dispatcher on the other end of its radio connection, remaining audibly silent and thus appearing to not notice the approaching gangbangers, "advise sending medical personnel in addition to police officers. What is status of Kelly-" The reflected pulses of radio and ultrasonic waves alerted Protectron of the attack, allowing the mighty robot to sidestep out of the way without even turning to face its attacker! "Change of plans," it continued 'silently,' remaining audibly silent and thus appearing even more aloof to the trio. "Due to assault by three youths, I shall bring 'Handsome' Harry to the nearest police station. Recommendation of sending police and medical personnel to this location remains." Finally it spoke aloud, "police backup is already en route. I have recorded your assault upon me, as well as your faces and voice prints, with my superior robotic sensors. Your attacks cannot harm me; my superior robotic body will not be stopped. Return now to your homes, and I shall not press charges." It was a decent threat, but would its flat delivery hinder it?

I think I'll fluff it as Protecton's accurate radio sense (i.e., radar) finally coming back online (which I'll be putting up in my Edit Requests), allowing it to sense and dodge out of the way! Radio Communication = can 'speak' on radio without also speaking audibly; the Subtle means it's harder to would-be eavesdroppers to intercept the signal. 2 HP, Fatigued Full Action: Attempt an Intimidate check (1d20=12) Let's see if we can do better: Intimidate check; HP re-roll (1d20=12) 1 HP, Fatigued

Sorry, should've been clearer: bruise + stagger + unconscious, and grapple/pin (in case he wakes up sooner than expected).

Learning about Protectron Gather Information or Knowledge (Current Events) DC 5: Protectron is some dude in a suit of armor who works with The Lab. He's been around since late 2010; he helped against The Gorgon. DC 10: That's no suit, I saw his head pop off! It's a real robot! It helped The Lab against The Conquering Mind, too. It's only been around since early 2011. DC 15: There are many theories as to who made it: The Lab, some other super-genius, the government (of this or of some other country). Maybe even aliens, or some supervillain! DC 20: No one has any clue who built it or where or why. Good thing it likes being a hero and to protect people! DC 25: Protectron makes a note of the preferences of the people it interacts with, and will often bring small personalized gifts when it re-visits them. Knowledge (Technology) DC 5: Protectron is the mascot for The Lab, and is often seen at their functions, interacting with children. It's probably some next-generation animatronic; you'll see more like it at DisneyWorld next year. DC 10: Protectron is no simple animatronic, it's a real working android! He simply appeared January 1st, 2011, in an abandoned home in Freedom City. DC 15: Protectron is an incredibly advanced robot, both physically and mentally. It can fly and is superhumanly strong, see and hear across a wider range of frequencies than humans, and can wirelesly interface with any electronic device within a few dozen feet. It is fully sentient and sapient, able to learn from its experiences, and capable of self-initiative, creativity, and empathy, sympathy, and compassion for others. There are many hypotheses on where it came from, but none seem sufficient. DC 20: It's probably not of extraterrestrial origin: its code interfaces too well with Terran computer systems for it to be an outsider, and its body is not constructed from anything that could not (at least theoretically) be formed on Earth. So who built it? DC 25: The advanced components do point to one possibility: it is from the future. But from how far, and why did it come back? Unfortunately this will be difficult to verify, as it has (or at least claims to have) no memory of anything from before it came online in Freedom on 1/1/11.

Oh, well, alright, KO him and hold him (Improved Grapple = can hold him pinned with one hand) while checking on cops.

"This." Protectron's left hand shot up and grabbed the barrel of the gun, jerking it out of Print's grip, while simultaneously rearing back with its right hand and delivering a precisely positions piston-like open-palm strike to Print's chest. The force was great enough to knock the wind from Print, and he folded like a ragdoll. Protectron dropped the firearm and caught Print by the collar of his SWAT vest, then repositioned him so it had one arm around the man, pinning one of his arms. Once Print was secured, the mighty robot radioed the police. "This is Protectron. I have secured 'Handsome' Harry Print, the man wanted for questioning regarding the assault on Kelly Print. Police car is at scene, but I see no evidence of the officers. Print is wearing a SWAT issue vest; probability he stole it from them is high."

Visiting family this weekend, leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday afternoon. Web connection status may be wonky.

Archeville showed all the mock indignation he could at Mona's talk of exploding laboratories, and feigned a more serious injury at her playful squeeze. "Ach, injury on top of insult! Tsk!" His nose reflexively wrinkled at talk of mystics, but brushed it off to address the more immediate concern of Afareen. "Oh, indeed, all manner of precautions, both physical and psychological. You see, it is not just enough that ArcheTech provides a safe place in which to work, it must also be a safe place to think, a place to nurtures and reward the work done in it." He leaned towards her slightly, "our health card package offers a generous section on counseling services, since genius is often accompanied by... well, let us say eccentricities. There are even sections of ArcheTech devoted to the psychological and social sciences: there are many supervillains out there who, I believe, would have become productive and positive members of society if they had received proper counseling, especially in cases where a laboratory or workplace accident caused a radical and shocking mutation." He shifted to face Fatima, "I am indeed! Though I do not take as public a role as other members -- most of my work with them is done behind the scenes, in the Hall's laboratories with Daedalus, in the Lighthouse with Pseudo, or in the ocean depths with Siren."

6? I believe you mean 7, my good man: 1 that everyone starts with, +5 from Luck 5, +1 from the complication. And I shall be glad to use them!

"Subtle?," he repeated as he shook Kristin's hand. "Pfaugh! I am a Man of Science, I have nothing to hide!" He turned slightly to flash a smile at the other passengers, and a wink at Yvonne. Yeah, I have still got it. "But... perhaps you are right," he stage-whispered to the young heroine, "there is some wisdom in taking a, ah, humble approach to things. Now, if you would hand me your phone so I can access it directly, I- oh." He paused as he saw the water trickle by, "that cannot be right." He turned to Hanson, but before he could speak he gaped in horror as his Screwdriver sputtered and died. "No, that cannot be right at all." Too localized for an EMP. Targeted? From where, and by whom? and is anything else on me affected? The Doktor laid his Screwdriver down on one of the chairs, and pulled part of his coat aside to check his belt. Kristin could tell it was no simple length of leather used to hold up his slacks, it was covered in tiny circuit-like designs and studded with tiny buttons and lights. "If my Screwdriver was knocked out by someone, or something," he said grimly, "it may have knocked out my Gravimetric Belt, too."

Fighting robots! Protectron's going to try to disarm & pin Harry. So, initiative, to see if Protectron goes fast enough to catch him surprised/flat-footed Initiative check (1d20+5=17) 2 HP Standard Action: Disarm Melee attack for disarm; power attack -2 Attk/+2 Dmg (1d20+5=21) If that hits, opposed roll of Protectron's damage vs. Harry's STR (plus Super-Str if he has any). Damage check for disarm, with +2 from Power Attacking (1d20+14=34) w00t! Free Action: Drop gun Reaction: Extra Effort to SURGE Standard Action: Unarmed strike Melee attack, keeping -2/+2 from Power Attack; DC 29 Toughness if it hits (1d20+5=16) Not as good, but hopefully a hit Reaction: Improved Grab to start grappling Grapple check (1d20+20=30) eh, a perfectly average roll (bare-bones description: Protectron grabs gun with one hand, open palm strikes Harry in the chest with the other, then drops the gun as it moves around to pin him.) Protectron will be Fatigued at the start of next round.

Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years

Sooo ooold. Everything looks fine here. :approved:

I'm guessing the old sheets get archived?

"Boxing?," he exclaimed, barely able to stifle a laugh. "I was not aware of that, madame! I mean, I can certainly see it, of course... ohh," he glanced back at Mona, "I wonder what other secrets about you I shall learn this evening?" "A little of both, actually," he turned back to Afareen, "as well as royalties from some existing patents. I use ArcheTech to get out my commercially-viable ideas, technologies that would be safe to mass produce and that are user-friendly. One of my bigger challenges is actually, ah, streamlining my existing works, and those of some of my staff, so that it can be subjected to peer review." "Streamlining" sounded better than "simplifying," and certainly better than "dumbing down." "My more volatile research I perform in my personal worskspaces, in my home and at certain ArcheTech facilities. There is also the work I do as an auxiliary member of the Freedom League, though that does not really pay anything, and some freelance consultation work I still do for other organizations."

I'll take the HP. And serve up some delicious Black Forest HAM.

The confusion gave way to a smirk, which broadened into a grin. He cleared his throat, shook a lock of long blonde hair from his face, straightened up (emphasizing the seven inches of height he had over her), and held his gadget up like a torch. "I, young lady, am Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville, Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist of Science! For over a dozen years I have worked to make sure Science and Technology are used to aid and advance humanity, and not put to villainous ends; to my great honor I was inducted to the Freedom League two years ago." "And this little gadget is my Elektromagnetischer Schraubenzieher, my Electromagnetic Screwdriver! With it, I can harness the energies of the entire electromagnetic spectrum -- gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, and infrared light, microwaves, and radio and television television signals -- for a wide variety of effects, as well as interface with any technology I come across!" As he spoke, the device shifted slightly, folding and unfolding little antennae and cables and blinking lights, and made hissing and popping noises as it scanned through the radio and tv signals reaching out from the planet below them as they raced off into the void of space. He looked at it, smiling, but thee glared at her phone, "which makes my inability to trace that signal all the more frustrating!"

This is odd, I cannot trace where this signal is coming from... I do not even recognize the signal. Who could- He paused at Kristin's questions, and his face registered a very rare thing for him: sincere confusion. "Who am I? You... you do not know? How... I... " He stammered a few moments more, then was silent for a bit, fixing her with his Rhine blue eyes. Is she joking? Even if she were unfamiliar with my scientific papers, I have been on numerous television shows, written scores of articles for popular science magazines, and, let us not forget, a member of the Freedom League! How can she- Whoa, whoa, settle down, now. Hunh, I suppose after all I have been though, all I have put others through, I still get caught up in my celebrity status, and am put out when others do not acknowledge it. Definitely need to watch that. Well, if I am to introduce myself, I may as well do it right! Well, as much as I can given the confined space.

"Do? That is entirely up to you, Mister Print." Protectron neither advanced nor retreated, but it did hold its hands up, palms outward, to show it held nothing. "Your wife, Kelly, came to The Lab seeking aid, for her and her daughter. She was quite distraught, and seemed to believe you were going to severely injure her, beyond the periorbital hematoma -- or 'black eye' -- that you had already given her. The police and social services have already been contacted, and her wounds are being treated. I have come to make sure you cooperate with the authorities, and to learn if and why you did this."

I would, if I had a PC with a video card worth a darn. /me looks forlornly at his dust-covered copy of Skyrim.

Dok tries to track where the signal came from, to see if it came from inside the house plane!

Archeville was, as ever, the odd man out -- he'd seen all this before, many times! The first time was nearly a dozen years ago, when he first started working in earnest as a superhero in and around Germany. That first time, I got such a sense of connectedness to it all, seeing everything below me, how it all interconnected. And such radical shifts in perspective often helped me to figure out some problem I was facing! Since then, I would come up more and more to look at it all, and created a small orbiting platform to rest and recharge on. The platform, many years and expansions later, became the seed for ArcheStern, which has allowed so many others see such breathtaking vistas. Of course, it would be rude to stand there looking jaded, so the Doktor smiled and nodded as the others tagged him into their excited exchanges. "Oh, indeed, thunderstorms look quite different from up here," he explained, "in fact, the thinner atmosphere has allowed scientists to measure things in such storms we normally could not detect, such as Gamma ray and radiowave bursts. There are many satellites up here to detect such phenomena -- though, not to worry, even at this height they are far above us, so we should be in no danger of colliding with one!" Okay, I probably could have said that a bit better, but- oh, what is this? Archeville happened to be looking at Kristin just as she received the odd text, and saw both it and her reaction to it. He drew a small wand-like device form his lab coat pocket, covered in buttons and studs and blinking lights, and waved it around the area, "no, normal phone signal should not be able to reach up here...."

"," Archeville smiled, "" The Doktor glanced around the cabin, again admiring the sleek lines of the vehicles, and also mentally taking note of his fellow passengers, smiling and nodding at each of them. Ah, that is the new Claremont student, the telekientic from Australia. Glow, I believe is her name. I wonder how she got on here? Related to someone, or- oh, there is that odious reporter, Jackson... ah, no escape, I suppose- wait, no, he is talking to her? Hrm, I may need to read up on this girl, see what she has been up to. Easy enough to do with my- wait, what did that man say? A cinema? Gym? Jacuzzi? He turned back to Davidson, a puzzled look on his face, "

Lemme try a straight INT check for Dok -- I doubt Kristin or Glow would ping on any of his science Knowledges -- for a Know (Current Events/Pop Culture) check. Untrained Knowledge check (1d20+7=12) Hunh. Well, I'd think that'd hit the big points -- telekinetic Claremont student from Australia. ... cinema? Gym? How big is this thing? I've been picturing it as a small jet, not a Spruce Goose. Or is it... bigger on the inside?